Southern California -- this just in

Gun show in Orange County attracts thousands of weapons buyers

A sign taped to ticket booths at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show
in Costa Mesa proclaimed, "Your wife called ... she said you could buy anything you
want."

And buy they did.

Eager to have the pick of the litter, enthusiasts began lining up as
early as 3 a.m. Saturday at the Orange County Fairgrounds, taking shelter from
the rain under umbrellas and jackets. When Bob
Templeton, owner and president of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows -- which stages events year-round in four western states -- arrived at 7 a.m., he described the mood as "upbeat," as if
people were in a "party mood."

Although prepared for a
strong show, he expressed surprise at the staggering number of people
who came in the early hours of event. Having originally estimated a turnout of 15,000 people spread across Saturday and Sunday, he said it's likely the event will be the organization's largest show in 38 years, attracting
between 22,000 and 24,000 people.

After selling 1,300 eight-foot tables to between 200 and 300 vendors
and experiencing "tremendous" online ticket sales, this event is poised
to surpass the Phoenix gun show, he added, which has historically been
the nation's largest.

"People are concerned that their 2nd Amendment rights are being
threatened by politicians," Templeton said. "They see things on a
national and state level and law-abiding gun owners feel like they're
under attack. Concern about the future of gun ownership has brought them
out here today."

Templeton described the gun show as a 1st and 2nd Amendment "forum" —
the former, pertaining to assembly and free speech, and the latter as
it relates to the right to bear arms.

Toward that end, when the O.C. Fairgrounds and Crossroads of the West
Gun Show received a handful of phone calls from citizens aggravated
about the influx of guns in their community, a "free speech" area was
demarcated with police tape. As has been the case in previous years, no
demonstrators arrived on the scene, Templeton said.

For 32-year-old Mission Viejo resident Kurt Groeters, a repeat
visitor, there was a marked difference between this and shows past,
which he recalled being "busy, but not to this extent."

"It's smart to be prepared," he said. "If they are going to ban
ammunition and certain guns, people are becoming aware and protecting
themselves from whatever it may be."

Tracy Olcott, vice president of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows,
labeled the event as "unusually busy," explaining that talks about arms
restrictions had triggered a deluge of "worried" people, gravitating
largely to ammunition and firearms.

While some, such as Groeters' friends, spent more than two hours in a
slow-moving queue in pursuit of the show-stealer — ammunition — Robert
Armendariz, turned off by the wait, decided not to stock up.

"I enjoy shooting and so I look for ammo or accessories that I can
upgrade my firearms with," said Armendariz, 46, a resident of Riverside,
who walked away with only three magazines and rings for his pistol's
flashlight mount.

"I like to purchase firearms, kind of like an investment, so I keep
an eye out for good deals and try to pick something up in every caliber.
You can get them cheaper here than elsewhere."

Photo: Rene Maeseele advertises his son's Polytech M14 rifle for sale while
standing in line Saturday at the Crossroads of
the West Gun Show at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
(Scott Smeltzer / Times Community News)